Manipur: CM Biren Singh calls for gradual shift to organic farming for healthier society

On Wednesday, Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh appealed to the farmers in the state to gradually shift away from chemical fertilisers in favour of organic farming for a healthier society.

As the chief guest of the Farmers' Meet cum Interaction Programme at City Convention Centre on Wednesday, he addressed farmers of the state and officials of  the Agriculture Department.

The chief minister also advised that the department should set up a Farmers' Cell, similar to "CM da haisi," with toll-free phone numbers, where a dedicated team of officials and personnel will receive farmer problems and work to fix them. He claims that this cell will assist bridge the gap between officials and farmers.

Chief Minister N Biren Singh while explaining the importance of the agriculture sector, stated that the Prime Minister's focus is for the country to become self-sufficient in agriculture.

He also noted that there was a lack of transparency, coordination, and communication among the ministries,  the chief Minister emphasised that all government departments are interconnected and require coordination. He stated that a collaborative effort between the Agriculture, Forest, Minor Irrigation, CADA, Horticulture, and Veterinary agencies is required to enhance agriculture in the state and resolve farmer problems.

He also mentioned a few of the farmers' grievances and appealed to government employees to be more transparent and honest in their work.

Farmers cannot be asked to boost their production without a proper market in which to sell them, he said, explaining that without a proper  market, their products will perish, discouraging them.

He noted that while the e-marketing system has made it easier to sell things, officials should be in charge of selling the farmers' products.

Agriculture minister Thongam Biswajit Singh, commissioner agriculture M Joy Singh, director of agriculture, Manipur N Gojendro, and experts attended the meeting and interaction programme organised by the Directorate of Agriculture, Government of Manipur.